The firefighter will demonstrate a working knowledge of the importance of a coordinated fire attack and the various activities that can take place simultaneously as part of that coordinated attack, from memory, without assistance, to a written test accuracy of 70%.

Overview:

· Coordinated Fire Attack

· Overview of Fire Attack

· Rescue Activities

· Exposure Protection Activities

· Fire Confinement Activities

· Fire Extinguishment Activities

· Overhaul Activities

· Ventilation Activities

· Property Conservation Activities

· Coordinated Fire Attack

Coordinated Fire Attack

SPO 1-1 The firefighter will demonstrate a working knowledge of the importance of a coordinated fire attack and the various activities that can take place simultaneously as part of that coordinated attack, from memory, without assistance, to a written test accuracy of 70%.

EO 1-9 Describe the simultaneous activities that take place as part of a coordinated fire attack.

This drill is intended to be conducted as an interactive discussion with everyone encouraged to participate. the discussion also provides an opportunity to think about other actions that may need to take place or are taking place on the scene that may affect what they are doing. Coordination of various fireground activities will provide a safer work environment for firefighters and reduce potential harm to victims.

I. Overview of Fire Attack (1-1)

A. Fireground objectives must be considered in a specific sequence

1. Rescue

2. Protect Exposures

3. Confine the Fire

4. Extinguish the Fire

5. Overhaul

6. Ventilation and property conservation must be considered as part of any other activity

B. While all objectives may not be required at every incident, they should be considered

C. Various objectives can take place at the same time

D. Objectives may be carried out by different companies since one company cannot be expected to be responsible for every activity

II. Rescue Activities (1-2)

A. Immediate rescue without coordinated fire attack should be attempted only in extreme cases

6. It is better to have excess flow capability and extinguish the fire quicker than to have inadequate

flow and loss the structure

D. Basement fires

1. Use all openings as points of attack

2. Requires full ventilation of basement and first floor

3. Stairways and other openings major channels for vertical spread

Note: Coordination during the confinement and extinguishment phases of fire attack is very important to avoid injury to firefighters. Opposing attack lines can push heat and fire to other firefighters and possibly cause a flashover due to heat buildup.

V. Fire Extinguishment Activities (1-5)

A. Effective stream operation

1. For safest and most effective operation where people in area, solid stream or fog nozzle on solid

stream position should be used to aid rescue and reduce steam production

2. Stay low upon entering fire area to let heat and gases vent before moving in

3. Before opening door to fire area, all firefighters should be positioned on same side of entrance and

remain low

4. Crack nozzle and bleed air out of line ahead of water

5. If fire shows at top of door as opened, ceiling should be hit with solid stream to cool and control

fire gases

6. Sweep floor with stream to cool burning debris and hot surfaces

7. Do not open stream until fire can be hit unless firefighter safety is affected

8. Direct stream at base of fire if localized

9. As advance made, angle of stream should be lowered and attempt made to hit main body of fire

10. When main body of fire knocked down, shut down stream and let area to vent

11. When fire knocked down, shut down

12. Upon entering an area, which is very, hot and finding no fire, withdraw immediately and check

area below

13. When attacking basement fire down interior stairs, solid stream should be used because fog will

generate steam

14. Use of fog should be restricted to unoccupied confined spaces

15. When building adequately ventilated opposite direction from fog nozzle, fog stream can be used

a. No more than 30-degree angle

b. Produces reach and fog pattern

16. If large intense fire encountered, may be necessary to knock down or control fire from outside

using solid stream before making interior attack

15. When building adequately ventilated opposite direction from fog nozzle, fog stream can be used

a. No more than 30-degree angle

b. Produces reach and fog pattern

16. If large intense fire encountered, may be necessary to knock down or control fire from outside

using solid stream before making interior attack

C. Where to look

1. Walls and ceilings

2. Above fire

3. Shafts

4. Cabinets and compartments

5. Window and door facings

VII.Ventilation Activities (1-7)

A. Review latent heat of vaporization to establish the need to ventilate steam

1. Water boils at 212oF

2. When raising the temperature of water from 60oF to 212oF, one BTU of heat is absorbed for

each degree of heat increase - 152oF increase equals 152 BTU's

3. When water is converted from liquid to steam, it absorbs 970 BTU's. This is seven times greater

than going from 60oF to 212oF

4. One cubic foot of water expands to 1700 cubic feet of steam

B. Ventilation is the process of making openings in building or exposure to allow heat and products of combustion to leave building

L. Positive pressure ventilation is only effective on structures when doors and windows maintained

M. Fog streams can be used to start venting immediately after fire has been knocked down

VIII. Salvage Activities (1-8)

A. Water to attack the fire can cause unnecessary damage due to excessive water application

B. Unnecessary entry can cause unnecessary damage

C. Prompt removal of smoke, heat, and water contributes to damage reduction

D. Salvage or property conservation is reducing the damage not directly related to the fire

E. Salvage is not just the placement of covers or the removal of water and smoke but the use of common sense throughout the operation

IX. Coordinated Fire Attack (1-9)

A. Staffing single most important part of engine company

1. 29 CFR 1910.134(e) (OSHA Regulation) (Two-in/two-out rule)

a. At least two firefighters enter the IDLH atmosphere and remain in visual or voice contact with

one another at all times

b. At least two other firefighters are located outside the IDLH atmosphere to be able to assist

personnel in case of emergency

c. Lack of additional personnel is not meant to preclude firefighters from performing emergency

rescue activities before an entire team has assembled

2. Failure to consider safety could be negligent on part of leadership of department

B. Size-up is defined as the sequence of thoughts and mental activity carried out by the individual-incharge

1. Begins upon receipt of alarm and continues until the operation is successfully concluded

2. Process may be carried out many times and by many different individuals during fire

3. Responsibility initially lies with individual-incharge of first company on scene

4. As other units arrive with persons of higher rank or jurisdiction, responsibility is passed up chain of

command

5. Proper size-up will result in the safe, timely, and efficient control of an emergency situation

6. Care must be exercised to insure that the total problem is evaluated

7. Size-up must be a dynamic process, continuing throughout all phases of the operation.

C. Officer in charge of first arriving apparatus must first consider the rescue problem and determine if such a condition exists

1. Should conditions indicate potential rescue situation, any activities undertaken should be directed

toward relieving the rescue problems

2. This entails number of considerations

a. All resources and activities should be directed toward accomplishing the actual rescue problem

b. Nothing done by way of an attack effort should interfere with or restrict rescue operations

c. Allocation of tools and equipment should favor those involved in the rescue effort

d. Ventilation, point of entry, and the placement of hose lines should be aimed toward protecting

those in immediate danger and the crews involved in the rescue effort

3. Possible that hose lines will be used to support rescue with no attempt to extinguish or even confine

fire

4. Time is critical, each minute of continued exposure of victim reduces chances for safe rescue

5. Life safety is first and primary consideration in all fireground activities

D. Once necessary details of rescue have been considered, or when no rescue problem exists, officer in charge should next direct thoughts and efforts toward confining fire to as small an area as possible

1. First concern must be for the adjacent exposures to which fire can spread

2. Attack must be toward cutting off route of fire travel to uninvolved exposures

3. If first effort isn't put toward checking fire spread, and is applied to the heart of the fire, neglected

edges of fire may spread to involved more areas and materials and result in fire of much greater

magnitude than first faced

4. First route of extension of fire will be in an upward direction (vertical)

a. If upward extension is prevented by lack of fuel, natural barriers, or other reasons, it will then

attempt to spread outward (horizontally)

b. If both of the preceding avenues are restricted, the fire will spread downward

c. Working knowledge of building construction features is also advantageous in projecting the

extension of fire

5. Fire will continue to burn unchecked unless

a. All fuel is consumed

b. Oxygen supply is depleted

c. Rate of heat released is reduced to a point where the process is no longer sustained

E. Size-up for extinguishment must consider

1. Nature of fuel involved

2. Quantity of fuel involved - provide an indication as to quantity of extinguishing agent required

b. Surface to mass ratio or the surface available characteristics of the fuel

c. Will determine how rapidly heat released and degree of difficulty in extinguishing fire.

As a follow-up to this drill, the department may want to conduct a live firefighting exercise to demonstrate the benefits of a coordinated fire attack.

SUMMARY:

Review:

· Coordinated Fire Attack

· Overview of Fire Attack

· Rescue Activities

· Exposure Protection Activities

· Fire Confinement Activities

· Fire Extinguishment Activities

· Overhaul Activities

· Ventilation Activities

· Salvage Activities

· Coordinated Fire Attack

Remotivation:

A coordinated fire attack is important to the success of the overall fireground operation. It is not enough to focus on attacking the fire without consideration the impact on other firefighters and victims by failing to protect exposures and confine the fire while ventilating throughout the operation.